Simple + Rustic

Today I am over on Mrs. French sharing my inspiration for this years Christmas decor. Simple + Rustic is key this year. Can't wait to share it all when I am done, well really when I have time to take pics.Hope to see you there!

Stocking / antlers

Thankful

Every year we have Thanksgiving at my parents home. My kiddos adore them and their house. It has ample amount of running room where they can go wild. Here are a few snippets from my parent's home out in the country and our Thanksgiving dinner...

Of course eating was high on the priority list. Ellie ate so much she got a tummy ache. She is so her mama. By the end of the night I shared in the pain. KJ indulged in rolls and bananas. I think all the choices left him a little overwhelmed.

We also had the pleasure of playing my sister's wii. We had a blast and I couldn't believe how sore I was the next day. The other two days of vacation were pure bliss. Kellen was home and we lazed around and decorated for Christmas. It truly was a time where I felt overwhelmingly blessed. Oh, yes I sat there and cried with pure joy. I am such a nut. How was your Thanksgiving holiday?

*also a huge thank you to Sharon who placed me in the the top 20 of design blogs. Love being placed by all my favorites and many who inspired me to start blogging over 2 years ago.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here's a lovely little setup at The French Market that I just adore. It looks all warm and cozy even with all the gray that you know I just love. Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday. I am starting mine today. Oh, and if I have yet to respond to email I hope to have them are done by the end of the weekend. I also can't wait to catch up on so many blogs, life has been quite busy lately.

Seeing Redd

Miles Redd is known for his rather elaborate designs quenched in color and pattern. As you know I am drawn to neutral simple palettes, but I must say all these designs from Mr. Redd have me singing a new tune. I adore these rooms and could easily see my family living in them. Well, if we were loaded that is.

It was also fun to see Ashley sitting on his stoop on her lovely blog. It would so be something I would do.

Wishes

The Mr. and I are not one's to exchange gifts on Christmas. We do stuff stockings with a few goodies, but that's about it. We prefer to give to others more. That being said I am over on Elleinad Spir sharing a gift wish that I just adore, but really have no intentions of actually getting. And since I am just playing make believe then I would also take this tweed jacket and top from Emerson Made to top it all off. Isn't make believe fun?

BOOKS

Today I am over on Mrs. French sharing some of the prettiest books I have ever seen. Books are one of my favorite items to not only read, but also use as decor. Hope to see you there!

{via Southern Living}

LUXE

Interior Designer Jamie Herzlinger was kind enough to send photos from her Casa Blanca design over my way. This place is sublimely luxe in every way. I am sure I would feel rather glamorous coming home to this every day. I love how the red front door and black and white striped drapes set the tone for the whole home before you even enter, love that.

*Jamie's Blog here. You know I love a good blog.

A Happy Table

Something holy happens at a dinner table. In a sanctuary you see backs of heads; at the table you see expressions of faces. - Max Lucado

Over on my other blog Mrs. French today! Hope you will join me there!

{photo via here}

BLISSFUL

Today I am over on Ingle Talk sharing a few tidbits for a blissful wedding day. I just adore weddings and the life that follows it. Hope you join me there. The post took me forever to do, ha!

{image via Kellen Jacob Photography}

SERENE

Before I head out the door I would make my bed and be sure to layer it with my favorite blanket that keeps me warm on the cooler nights we are now having. Two pretty pillows would sit front and center and then I would instruct my children not to jump on my freshly made bed. I would admire my oatmeal walls and then want oatmeal for breakfast. I would then be sure to grab my handbag and coat off my lovely chair, because let's be real and know I did not hang them up the night before. I adore a serene palette and my life needs some sort of serene.

* I am also guest posting on Simply Seleta today! Adore her and her blog.

DREAMING

Every once in a while I come across an image that instantly sends me into a dream world. Yesterday that happened while visiting Carolina Postcard. This is the countryside estate of Stella McCarthy. It is nothing short of awe inspiring. Hope you join me over on Mrs. French to dream along with me...

PUPS

I think I need to make a quick run into Pet Smart to see Martha's line of dog goodies. I am not one for skull and bones, but the idea is brilliant for a little shirt. I would so not mind if our little pup left his toys out if they all looked as good as these.


Oh, yes he sure did find one of KJ's old pacy's and took it upon himself to make it his own. Ridiculous, I know.

Lanterns, Pinecones, and Such

Today I am over on Mrs. French sharing my love for large pinecones. You can also get a look at my new lantern that hangs in my dining room. I adore it!

Our Christmas Cards with Minted

One of my favorite things about the holiday season is sending out our Christmas cards. Last year we went with a photo with just kiddos that we adored, but this year I knew I wanted a family photo, which is much easier said than done with two small ones. While on vacation we decided to take a chance and see what we could come up with. Thankfully it went off without a hitch and we managed to capture quite a few winners.

A few tips on capturing a great family photo...

1) Dress in what you are comfortable in. You can wear complementing outfits without being too matchy matchy.
2) Keep it simple...especially when using a self timer like we did for the first image. If you try too hard it will show, and not necessarily in a good way.
3) Be yourself. Again this goes back to dressing in what you would normally wear and stay away from too many trends unless that is who you really are. People want to see the real you.
4) Have fun!!! So many people put too much pressure on having to get that perfect shot, but in the long run you will see the stress of it all on your faces. The in between moments are always our favorites anyways.
5) Using a self timer can be hard even for a photographer like my Mr. so asking a friend to help can be a life saver. It also gave us the chance to do something that comes completely natural to us...walking as a family.

Then comes the choosing of the card. We being the creative types like to be a bit different and try to choose something that not only represents our family, but our photography as well. Once we saw Minted we knew they would be the best choice for us. The quality is superb with thick paper and the designs are fresh and so very unique. We liked them so much we choose two different designs this and this one. Really it was too hard to choose just one...so we didn't!

Now to get addressing so I can have them ready to send out the week after Thanksgiving. Yes, I like to be on top of things.

A Charmer

Another local real estate beauty going for $529,900. The choices of fabric, art, antiques, and style all lend itself to such great design. The bedrooms may be my favorite part. Each one puts such a smile to my face. The built-ins are fantastic and a seagrass rug is always perfection in my opinion. I even love the slipcovers on the outdoor chairs. This also makes me think this home was decorated by a pro, no detail over looked.

*as always if you interested in this home email me I will get you in touch with the listing agent.

Harvest to Holiday- The Event

Yesterday I attended the Harvest to Holiday event at the French Market. I had the most wonderful time and met so many inspiring women. Of course I took photos and wish I could have shared them all, but I know better than to do that. The first photo is an arrangement that would be so easy to recreate. A gorgeous basket of some sorts and all your favorite herbs is all it would take. I could see this sitting in my dining area right by our big window. Hope to see you over on Mrs. French to see more from this most fabulous event!

A Full Nest

This is a cookbook...


That was made for this family...


Why? You may be wondering, well it is to raise funds for an upcoming adoption that they have underway. They are adopting two little ones from Uganda, Africa and all proceeds will help to bring them home. This family is one of my favorites. Jeremy has been a great friend since college and when Lauren came into the picture, well we made fast best friends. Our children are growing up together and I can't wait to see them add two more. I know my Ellie and KJ are excited to have more friends to play with. I can imagine all the happy messes now.

So if you would like to know more and possibly purchase a cookbook that we all had a hand in, be sure to go here. I even shared my pizza recipe that tastes remarkably close to my favorite one that I shared about here. I have already started using it and I can attest that it is filled with good eats. Plus it will make great Christmas presents. It will be kind of like you are giving two gifts in one!

Design Love

{image via lonny}

Today I am sharing my love of new & old on my other blog Mrs. French. Hope to see you there!